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Four Victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Saved in Alexandria

July 24,
2013

News Highlights

In a two month period, four people survived cardiac arrest in
Alexandria

Quick recognition and actions of members of the public, the life-saving
care provided by the City of Alexandria’s Fire Department and Department of
Emergency Communications, and the efforts of the staff at Inova Alexandria
Hospital contributed to the successful outcomes of each event.

Their actions demonstrated the
American Heart Association's Chain of Survival:

In a two month period, four
people survived cardiac arrest in Alexandria thanks to the quick recognition
and actions of members of the public, the life-saving care provided by the City
of Alexandria’s Fire Department and Department of Emergency Communications, and
the efforts of the staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital. Their actions
demonstrated the American Heart Association's Chain of Survival:

Immediate recognition of the emergency and activation
of EMS

Early CPR emphasizing chest compressions

Rapid defibrillation

Effective advanced life support

Integrated post-cardiac arrest care

The bystanders, emergency dispatchers,
Fire Department responders, and hospital staff all worked together to give
these four men a chance to survive what is usually a fatal event.

On May 30, a visitor from
overseas collapsed at a bus stop in the Del Ray neighborhood. One witness, a
nurse practitioner, found him to be in cardiac arrest and immediately began
performing chest compressions. Another witness called 911. Within four minutes,
several Fire Department vehicles arrived on scene. Paramedics and firefighters
continued performing CPR and defibrillated the patient once. Several minutes
later, they found that the patient had regained a pulse; he continued to show
signs of improvement en route to the hospital. Several days later, he was able
to walk out of the hospital and return to his home across the Atlantic.

A month later, Fire Department
personnel responded to a theater in Old Town on June 30 for the report of a
seizure. On arrival, they discovered a man in his mid-40s, unresponsive and
with no pulse. After initiating CPR, paramedics defibrillated the patient. He
regained a pulse and began breathing a few minutes later while being
transported to the hospital. Two weeks later, he was discharged from Inova
Alexandria Hospital with a new life vest capable of detecting and
defibrillating life-threatening heart rhythms but also with no neurological
deficits and the ability to resume a normal life.

On July 9, an employee at a local
restaurant told his colleagues that he was feeling sick and would probably go
home early. Later that day, he collapsed in the kitchen. Another restaurant
employee knew CPR but also knew that he had to call 911 immediately before
starting chest compressions. A Fire Department battalion chief who was in the
area heard the dispatch and immediately responded. He found a male in cardiac
arrest and applied the AED and defibrillated the victim. Other firefighters
arrived on scene to assist with CPR, and medics arrived two minutes later. They
continued CPR and defibrillated the patient three additional times before he
regained a pulse and then began breathing on his own; he was then rushed to
Inova Alexandria Hospital. He has recovered fully with no neurological deficits
and should be leaving the hospital and returning home soon.

The next week, a construction
worker at home in Del Ray collapsed in the backyard while working on a fence.
His co-worker immediately called 911 and began CPR, following the instructions
given to him on the phone by a Department of Emergency Communications
dispatcher. The EMS supervisor arrived on the scene within minutes and attached
a defibrillator. Firefighters then began CPR, and the patient was defibrillated
twice before he regained a pulse and started breathing. He was transported to
Inova Alexandria, where he remains sedated in critical but stable condition.

Sudden cardiac arrest is when the
heart suddenly stops beating, due to an electrical abnormality. While it is not
the same as a heart attack, it is often caused by a heart attack. However,
other causes—such as drugs, congenital abnormalities, and electrocutions—can
also lead to sudden cardiac arrest. A victim of sudden cardiac arrest is
clinically “dead”—they have no heart beat—but can be saved if a defibrillator
is applied within a few minutes. Performing chest compressions immediately and
until a defibrillator can be applied has been shown to double or triple a
victim’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. The most important steps to saving
a victim of cardiac arrest are:

Recognizing the emergency and calling 911

Performing CPR (chest compressions)

Applying an Automated External Defibrillator
(AED)

The Alexandria Fire Department
recognizes the efforts of the bystanders who helped save both strangers and
friends by quickly calling 911 and performing CPR, the call-takers and
dispatchers who calmly gathered the necessary information and dispatched help,
the medics and firefighters who provided the medical care that brought these
patients back to life, and the staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital who continued
that care and helped these patients recover and resume their lives.